Honor Societies

The Department of Modern Languages and Cultures supports two language and culture honor societies:

Dobro Slovo: The National Slavic Honor Society

Academic Excellence in Slavic Studies: Language, Literature, History, Culture

A Brief History of Dobro Slovo

Dobro Slovo was originally founded as a local Slavic Honorary Society on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley on October 29, 1926.

In 1963, with the help and encouragement of the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European languages - AATSEEL, Dobro Slovo became the National Slavic Honor Society. There are now over 130 local chapters with a total membership of 6,200.

Dobro Slovo servers as a means for the recognition of academic excellence in the study of Slavic languages, literature, history, and culture. The Society serves as an incentive for scholarly interest in Slavic life and culture.

The National Slavic Honor Society has been patterned after other existing honorary organizations. The Key of the Society is as representative of academic excellence in Slavic Studies as the Phi Beta Kappa is for academic studies as a whole.

Eligibility

There are three classes of membership: student, faculty, and honorary. Members may be chosen from both undergraduate and graduate students and from the faculty of the local institution.

Qualifications for student membership are:

  1. The student must have completed two years (or equivalent) of study of Slavic languages, literature, culture or related subjects with a minimum average GPA of 3.5.
  2. A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 at the University of Rochester.
  3. The student must indicate an active and continuing interest in Slavic languages, literature, culture, or related fields of Slavic studies.

The chapter faculty advisor is responsible for determining the eligibility of all candidates.

Members

Society members receive multiple benefits including:

  • National recognition for academic excellence
  • Membership certificate (8 1/2 x 11, suitable for framing)
  • Society pin
  • Black and gold honor cord

Epsilon Delta Chapter

Faculty Advisor

Professor Laura Givens

Faculty Dobro Slovo Members

Professor John Givens
Professor Laura Givens
Professor Rita Safariants

Honorary Dobro Slovo Members

Dmitry Bykov
Dr. Ralph Józefowicz
Dr. Frederic Skalny

Dobro Slovo officers

2023-24
President: William Givens
Secretary: Jordan Hetu

2022-23
President: Anna Givens
Secretary: William Givens

2021-22
President: Yihong Zhang
Secretary: Anna Givens

2020-21
President: Jamia Leonard

2019-20
President: Jamia Leonard
Secretary: Mariel Sackman

2018-19
President: Boguang Yang
Secretary: Siobhán Seigne

2017-18
President: Boguang Yang
Secretary: Siobhán Seigne

2016-17
President: Tanveer Karim
Co-President: Katelyn Murphy

2015-16
President: Angelika Kropiowski
Secretary: Christina Amaral

2014-15
President: Alexander Glebov
Secretary: Natalia Godyla

2013-14
President: Olga Nikolayeva
Secretary: Leyla Akhverdiyeva

Dobro Slovo Initiates

2024
Matthew Bouma-Hannam
Aaron Do
Sergei Eliseev
Markus Klimas
Benzhe Li
Esther Polyakovsky
Brooke Stanley
Victoria Usachev
Isabella Wang

2023
Susan Bansbach
Jaclyn Dron
Jordan Hetu
Mariam Khakhutaishvili
Eric Monsebroten
Samson Tsegai

2022
Libby Bollinger
Hannah Bonbrest
Claire Breitinger
William Givens
Jason Hahn
Áine Lowndes
Amanda Newell
Gina Romanazzi
Hannah Yeager

2021
Lianna Creedon
Jennifer Lopez

2020
Tomasz Bazant
Megan Benka
Emily Brzac
Michelle Dashevsky
Anna Givens
Nadezdha Hughes
Elise Liu
Meghan Moscato
Boping Nong
Miranda Vasso
Yihong Zhang

2019
Thabani Dube
Maria Hackett
Ryan Kohn
Jamia Leonard
Eilis Regan
Mariel Sackman
Elise Vincent

2018
Eric Franklin
Benjamin Garcy
Forrest Hangen
Kathryn Hanlon-Hall
Graeme McGuire
Alexandra Mesropov
Alexis Wallace

2017
Katharine Baum
Cherish Blackman
Frederik Brekk
Stephen Burgay
Matthew Eisenstein
Benjamin Goehring
Christopher Hodgman
Robert Parent
Siobhán Seigne
Zachary Smith
Boguang Yang

2016
Emily Bozelli
Paige Garlington
Jillian Johannes
Md. Tanveer Karim
Alexander Lamothe
Rebecca Morton
Katelyn Murphy
Di Wang

2015
Emma Alperin
Christina Amaral
Ian Delbridge
Kendall Gildersleeve
Angelika Kropiowski

2014
Hannah Chute
Natalia Godyla
Jordan Shapiro
Daniel Webb

2013
Leyla Akverdiyeva
Gabrielle Cornish
Rachael Daum
Meredith Doubleday
Alexander Glebov
Stephanie Kane
Andrew Kless
Madeleine Klingler
Michael Kloboucher
May Zhee Lim
Olga Nikolayeva
Zachary Palomo
Zachary Pressman
Gregory Sutherland
Alexander Turpin
Yiyang Zhu

Pi Delta Phi, Pi Upsilon: The National French Honor Society

About Pi Delta Phi

Pi Delta Phi is the National French Honor Society for undergraduate and graduate students at accredited public and private colleges and universities in the United States. Founded in 1906 at the University of California at Berkeley, Pi Delta Phi is the oldest academic honor society for a modern foreign language in the United States. There are currently more than 75,000 members and 380 chapters of the Society in the United States and two representative chapters in France. The society was admitted to membership in the Association of College Honor Societies (ACHS) in 1967. The Society's purpose is to recognize outstanding scholarship in the French language and its literatures, to increase the knowledge and appreciation of Americans for the cultural contributions of the French-speaking world, and to stimulate and to encourage French and francophone cultural activities.

Membership

The qualification to establish a chapter are: a major or minor in French or French studies—or related major or minor in Romance or Modern Foreign Languages, Global or International Studies, etc.—that requires students to complete a minimum of two advanced-level courses taught in French (beyond the intermediate series of classes).


  • The oldest national academic honor society for a foreign language in the United States
  • Member of the Association of College Honor Societies since 1967
  • network with others who are passionate about French and the literatures and cultures of the French-speaking world
  • Generous undergraduate scholarships for summer study in France andQuébec
  • Scholarships are awarded only to students in French; applicants are not competing with students in
  • ESL, Classics, Linguistics, Bilingual Education, Philosophy, ASL, Spanish, German, Chinese, etc.
  • Unlike all language honor societies, chapters are installed in person by regional vice presidents
Regular Members

Regular members include graduate and undergraduate students at the sponsoring institution who are nominated in recognition of their academic achievement in French. Undergraduate or graduate candidates do not need to be French or French Studies majors or minors to be nominated for membership. The eligibility requirements for all undergraduate students are:

  • Completion of at least one course of upper-division French (i.e. beyond the intermediate-level series of courses)
  • 3.0 GPA in French, 3.0 GPA overall, and rank in the top 35% of their class; contact the President if class rank is not used.
  • Sophomore standing (i.e. second year)

Graduate students who are not already members of Pi Delta Phi are eligible for regular membership. The eligibility requirements for all graduate students are:

  • Completion of 2 graduate courses in French, and
  • Minimum 3.5 GPA in graduate coursework
Honorary Members

Honorary members include: the French faculty of the sponsoring institution who are not already members of Pi Delta Phi; members of the faculty at large who are not already members of the Society; undergraduate and graduate students who do not meet the above requirements for regular membership; college or university alumni who did not become members while attending the sponsoring institution; and diplomats, community and business leaders, and others who have demonstrated their support of the French language and/or of the cultures and literatures of the French-speaking world.

Scholarships

The Joseph W. Yedlicka Awards
  • Summer-session scholarship to attend the American University of Paris.
  • Summer-session scholarship to attend the Institute for American Universities in Aix-en-Provence.
The Mary E. Gutermuth Award
  • Summer-session scholarship to attend the University of Québec at Chicoutimi.

All of the above awards include housing, half board, and a Pi Delta Phi Travel Grant.

For more information, please visit www.pideltaphi.org